Loading and unloading apparatus



(No Model.)

v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. K. E. LATHROP-i LUADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

Patentwed Mar. l, 1887.

WMM maf (No Model.)

2 sheetssheet 2. K. E. LATHROP.

LOADING AND UNLGADING APPARATUS.

Pgtentad Mar. 1,1887.

N. PETRS. Pnum-ulmgmpner, washingwn, l ,c

illnrrnn KIRKE E. LA'IHROP, OF AFTON, IOWA.

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,558, dated March l,1887.

Application led February 27, 1886. Serial No. 193,465. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cera:

Be it known that I, KIRKE E. Litrnnor, a citizen of the United States,residing at Afton, in the county of Union and State of Iowa,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Loadingand Unloading, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a rearperspective view of my improved apparatus Fig. 2 is an enlargedtransverse sectional view on the line .fr of Fig. l.

My invention relates to devices for loading or unloading hay, stones,barrels, or other articles; and the same consists in the constructionand combination of devices, which I shall hereinafter describe, andspecifically point ont in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willnow describe its construction and the manner in which I have carried itout.

In the said drawings, A represents a suitable body provided withlongitudinal sills a, and transverse sills b b; and B B represent thesupporting-wheels, which are mounted upon the axles C, as shown in Fig.l.

In constructing myapparatus I mount upon the rear transverse sill, andat or near thclongitudinal center of the wagon-body, and securely bracethereto, an upright post, D, com, posed, preferably, of gas-pipe orother hollow tubing, having one ofits sides slotted at 2, for a purposeI will now describe.

Located within the post D is a pipe or tube, E, whose exterior diameteris slightlyless than the interior diameter ofthe said tube,whereby thepipe or tube E may be vertically moved within the post, and. may beadjusted to accom modate itself to different heights,in amanner to behereinafter described.

The lower end of the pipe E is attached to a swiveled connection, a', towhich is secured a cord or chain, e,which extends upward over aguide-pulley, 3, secured to the post D, near its top, and thencedownward to a drum, c, j ournaled within the vehicle-frame. The shaft ofthis drum c is provided with a crank or handle, c', for operating thesame, to cause the pipe E to be moved vertically upward or downwardwithin its post. By these means I am enabled to adjust myloadingapparatus to racks of different heights when employed for handling hay,straw, Ste-a feature that is greatly desired, and readily accomplishedby the simple winding of the cord or chain c upon its drum until thedesired height is obtained, when the pipe E may be held in its adjustedposition by means of a suitable pawlandratchet mechanism.

In the extreme upper end of the pipe E is mounted a pulley, 5, to thepivot-pin of which is pivotally attached an arm, E, extending at rightangles to the vertical line of the tube and carrying on its outer end apulley, 6, as shown. The arm i" is also provided with a series of stops,7, which, in conjunction with a rod, F, pivoted at 8 to the tube E,enables the arm E to be raised from a horizontal to an inclinedposition, thereby further increasing the distance the load may beelevated.

At the rear end of the vehicle is mounted a transverse shaft, G,carrying at or near its center a drum, H, around which is wound a cordor chain, f, which extends from the drum upward through the hollow postD, pipe E, and arm E', over the pulleys 5 and 6, and has attached to itsouter end a suitable fork or other implement, (not shown,) which engagesand holds the hay or other article to be elevated.

The shaft G has loosely mounted near its ends sprocket-wh eelsKK,provided with. hubs g, the outer portions of which have serrated faces,which engage similar faces formed on suitable clutchrollars L, which arekeyed or otherwise rmly secured to the shaft. The inner portions of thehubs g are provided with annular grooves, which are engaged by the outerends of suitable sliding levers or rods, M, while the inner ends of saidlevers are attached to the end ofacord or chain, h. The said cord orchain, after being attached to the levers, passes through suitableguides, k, and passes to the front portion of the vehicle-body under apulley, 9, mounted on the front transverse sill, and thence extendsupward to a drum, I0, in upper portion of a frame, N, pivoted at itsbase to the longitudinal sills of the vehiclebody. The shaft Z of thedrum 10 has mounted thereon a ratchet, 11, whose movement is controlledby a suitable pawl, with which it is engaged. A crank-handle, 12, on theend of the IOO ' shaft Z, when operated, winds or unwinds the cord uponthe drum, and causes the serrated faces of the sprocket-wheels to engageor disengage the serrated faces of the clutch-collars, L therebypermitting the cord or chain j", which carries the fork or implement, tobe wound or unwound, and the article elevated o'r the fork lowered, asdesired.

To cause the clutch mechanism previously served the rearsupporting-wheels, B', are secured to and operate sprocket-wheels O,which are connected with the sprocketwheels K K by means of drive-chainsI, as shown.

From the foregoing description it will be observed the operation of myapparatus will be substantially as follows: A team being hitched to thewagon, I ordinarily employ a boy to drive, a man to load, and boy or manto place the hay-fork when handling hay in the'cock or bunch of hay tobe loaded. The

man on the ground places the hay-fork in the cock or bunch, usingpreferably a four-tined grappling-fork, the boy starts the team, and thesupporting-wheels B revolving the endless chains (the machine being ingear) and the drum, thereby causes the rope j', that runs through thepost and tube and to which the fork is attached, to be wound upon thedrum H. When the hay is lifted high enough, the operator on the wagonpulls a rope, It, attached to the outer end of arm E', and swings thehay over the load. The man on the ground then trips the fork, lettingthe hay drop on the load. The boy then turns the handle l2, therebythrowing the machine out of gear and permitting the fork to drop to theground. The team is driven to and stopped at the next cock or bunch, andthe process is repeated as before. In ordinary work I only gear themachine to one of the supporting-wheels; but when farmers put up verylarge cocks it is better to gear to both hind wheels.

To unload after driving into the barn, if it be desired to place the hayin the top of a mow, first raise the derrick-arm E to its full height byadjusting the brace-rod F, and then raise the tube E by turning thecrank c. It is now evident that when the team is attached to the rope fand started the several mechanisms described operate to elevate the hayor other material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wheeled frame having a tubular derrick mounted thereon, incombination with a transverse shaft, G, having a drum, H, immediatelybelow the derrick, the clutch-collars L fixed upon the shaft and havingserrated faces,

kthe loosely-mounted sprocket-wheels K K, the

levers M, and ropeh, for operating to unclutch said wheels, and the maindrive-wheels having sprocket-wheels O, connected with the wheels K K,and driving the shaft,whereby the load is elevated, substantially asherein described.

2. A wheeled frame having a fixed hollow post, D, in combination withthe tubular section E, adapted to be vertically adj usted within thepost, a tubular horizontal section or arm, E, pivoted to the verticalarm by the pivotpin 5, a pulley upon said pivot-pin and withinand-ratchet mechanism for adjusting the derrick vertically,substantially as herein described.

4. Awheeled frame havingaderrick mounted thereon, a transverse shaft atythe rear of the frame having the fixed clutch-collars L, and theloosely-placed sprocket-wheels driven by power derived from the maindrive-wheels, in combination with the sliding lever or rods M, theprojections or guides m, the rope connected with and operating bothlevers, whereby the sprocket-wheels engage or disengage the fixedclutch-collars L, a pulley, 9, and a pivoted frame, N, at the front ofthe main frame, having the drum I0 and operating-crank handle l2,substantially as herein described.

KIRKE E. LATHROP.

NVitnesses:

D. DAVENPORT, AsA WV. JACKSON.

